Black, H., & Naifeh, T. (2009). Kin (1st ed.). ISBN: 978-0439855655. Paperback. $7.72
Annotation: When her mother is taken back by the faerie King and her father is arrested for kidnapping, Rue must find a way to put her family back together.
When you break a promise you have to pay. Rue’s mother is gone and her father has been arrested as a suspect, but Rue knows better. Rue is of the blood, or a Faerie as everyone else likes to say. Her father made a promise with the King of Faerie in order to be with the King’s daughter…but when he broke that promise, his wife was pulled back to faerie. A dark presence is in the world of humans as seen in the black and white shadowed drawings of Kin. The dark Fae lurk everywhere including in Rue’s friends. By using her connection to Faerie, can Rue save her mother? With the help of her friends, new allies, and even old enemies, Rue travels through the darkening world to bring light back to hers.
I chose to read The good neighbors: Kin, the first in this graphic novel series because it seemed to be for an older audience, and a different style. Although the copy I used had limited color, the black and white actually fits well with the theme of the darkening city and life of the main character Rue. I think this book would also be a great introductory book to graphic novels because, like Rapunzel’s revenge, Kin is written by a teen author and readers who like their books may widen their reading tastes with either of the graphic novels. I also think this book would be liked by a variety of genders and could even appeal to adults. It’s darker theme although sci-fi is rooted in reality and Rue, along with her friends and family, are more relatable. This graphic novel would be great for teens that like fairytales or “broken” fairytales, and like books, such as Holly Black’s Tithe or Maggie Stiefvater’s The raven boys. I would again suggest that people check out the book from the library first since it is a series and it’s darker plot and setting may not be for everyone. On the other hand, it is cheaper to buy, yet harder to find in-store, which may be another reason to get it from the library.
Award Nomination: Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Nominee for Best Publication for Teens/Tweens (2009)
Holly regularly updates her Instagram and creates Pinterest boards to go with her books. You can also find a lot about her books on http://blackholly.com/.
Here is a video of Holly and her good friend Cassandra Clare talking about their book The Iron Trial. One of the First book signings I went to was with both of these authors when they toured together for Ironside and City of Bones. It was magical! As a teen, Holly was also one of my first hair idols and has always dyed her hair different colors.
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